Stricken (Tales of Xillia Fanfiction)
by Shadowprincess1542
Summary: Alvin starts acting strangely, but it's not until much later that they realize he's pretty sick. They aren't sure exactly what it is, but Jude (and everyone else) is determined to help him. Warning: potential spoilers for first game. Please note that this story is not completed. I'm having a spotty time writing it right now. However, a final update might be in the wind.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This may not be my first work, but it is my first fanfiction that I'm publishing on here. Please feel free to let me know what you think! I (obviously) don't own Tales of Xillia.**

 **I hope you enjoy this!**

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Alvin pressed his back against the wall, listening to the others talking to yet another stranger. He didn't really care what they did, he was more or less used to it by then. Their conversation was interesting, he was sure, but he couldn't help being distracted.

He pulled at his coat, trying to ease the unusual chill that was creeping through him. The moment he did, he felt overwhelming heat emitting from somewhere inside himself. He dropped his coat – finally admitting defeat – and rested his head against the stone wall behind him, laying his increasingly warmer face against the cool surface. He let his eyes rest and concentrated on his breathing, hoping for some kind of relief.

He heard Jude say something, but he wasn't sure what it was through his fog. He flicked his eyes open and looked down at him.

"Sorry, kid," he said, peeling off the wall and turning to him, "I didn't catch that."

Jude squinted up at him. "Are you okay?"

Alvin forced a grin. "What? Why are you suddenly so worried?"

"I guess it's nothing, then," Jude said, rolling his eyes.

Before Alvin could even begin to act hurt, Milla interrupted them for Jude's attention.

"We'll be staying in the inn tonight," she said, not even batting an eye at Alvin, "Rowen believes it would be best if we took time to rest before setting out again."

"Alright," Jude said, nodding, "That probably is for the best."

Milla started toward the inn and Jude watched as Rowen, Leia, Elize, and Teepo followed her.

"Seriously, Alvin," he said, looking back up at him and noticing an uncharacteristic redness in his face, "If something's wrong, you need to tell someone."

"I'm fine," Alvin said, loosly laying his arm around Jude's shoulders. He let go of him after a moment and started toward the inn himself. "It'll be dark soon, kid. I wouldn't be caught out here alone at night, if I were you."

Jude watched him for a moment and ultimately followed him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but he pushed it aside – maybe he was just reading too far into it.

Alvin pushed the cheep, inn blanket off his too-hot body, sitting up and rubbing his face desperately. He took in a shaky breath, a tightness in his lungs he hadn't expected. He coughed a weak, dry cough and pulled himself out of bed. His legs didn't respond as they normally would, his head reeled, and he staggered. He caught himself on the wall, but couldn't prevent the thud that sounded as he made contact.

He heard Jude stir just a few feet away and froze in the darkness. When he didn't make another sound, Alvin let out a heavy sigh and started to pick his way along the wall.

"Alvin?" Jude's voice echoed in the room. He had whispered, but it seemed a thousand times louder in the silence of the night.

"Did I wake you?" he asked, squinting to see him.

"It's fine," he said, rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Alvin said, finding his voice shakier than it had been a moment ago.

Jude shifted more. "Are you sure? You don't sound fine."

"Yeah," Alvin said, starting to edge his way along the wall, searching for the door. "I'm just getting some night air."  
"Okay," Jude said, suspicion in his voice.

Alvin's hand found the door handle and he turned it, clicking it open. He slipped out into the dimly lit hallway and pulled the door to behind him. He stumbled a bit, catching himself with a wider stance so he didn't crash into anything. He glanced toward the front room, where he needed to go if he were actually going for night air, and pulled his heavy body in the other direction. A dark, empty corner – that was what he wanted.

He ducked into the hall that ran adjacent to the one he was in and made his way toward the dead end, though it seemed a great distance from him. Halfway down the hall his foot caught on thin air and he fell face first into the hardwood floor.

He laid still for a moment, letting himself rest against the cool surface. He eventually pushed himself up when he realized warm, red liquid was seeping from his nose. He wiped it away and stared at the streaks on his hand. He was suddenly aware of an unbearable pounding in his head. He sat up and looked behind him at where he'd come from. The world was swimming, a dense fog obstructing his vision.

He forced himself to stand, using the wall to get his bearings enough to hurl himself back down the hall. He tripped again and slammed into the wall that divided the hallway and the room the others were in. He managed to turn his back to it and slide back down to the floor before the door opened again.

"Alvin?" Jude said, sounding much more panicked now than before.

Alvin blinked away the haze and met Jude's concerned eyes for a moment before spotting Rowen off to the side.

"Alvin, what happened?" Jude asked, "Your nose is bleeding."

He laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes against the lights. He could feel his heartbeat behind his eyes and felt like he might...

Before he could stop himself, he'd turned away from Jude and sent what little he'd managed to hold down that day out of his stomach and across the floor. He nearly fell over once he finally stopped gagging and spitting, but Jude and Rowen carefully held him up.

Jude made brief eye contact with Rowen, exchanging nervous glances.

"I will go at once to retrieve Lady Milla," Rowen said quickly, before dismissing himself and slipping into a door down the hall.

Jude looked back at Alvin, who's ragged breathing was beginning to scare him. He pressed his palm to his forehead and drew his hand back with a snap, his eyes widening at the heat.

Alvin stared back at him, his eyes half glazed over with fever. He heard a door close and a moment later felt more people around him – Milla, Leia, and Elize.

"Little buddy doesn't look so good!" Teepo shouted, only to be snatched from the air and silenced by Elize.

"He seemed well enough earlier," Milla said, touching her finger to her chin, "I can't help but wonder what exactly it was that brought this on."

"Does it matter?" Leia asked, "He's obviously really sick. We can worry about what caused it later."

A realization washed over Alvin as they stood over him. They really could just walk away from him and leave him where he laid. They had every reason to, not to mention every right, after what he'd done. He tried to move, but Jude stopped him with ease. He knew Jude was a tough kid – he'd found out the hard way exactly how strong he was – but he was too weak to even push him off. They could do anything to him at this point. He felt tears sting his eyes and he tried to push them away, but they began to fall anyway. He pushed them away with the back of his hand and focused again on catching his breath.

"It's okay," Jude said, his voice low and even, "You've got nothing to worry about. We've got you."

Fear flashed in Alvin's eyes, remembering hearing those words in the past and having had them back fire. The last time he'd been sick like this seemed like a million years ago, and yet the sting from the memory was all too fresh. He tried once more to struggle free, making no progress and eventually just collapsing back against the wall to gasp for much needed air.

Leia was suddenly at his side, rubbing his arm and carefully thinking of ways to distract him. She snatched Teepo from the air above Elize's head and wrapped Alvin's arms around him. "Can you squeeze him?" she asked, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"NO!" Teepo shouted, "Don't squeeze me!"

Alvin chuckled through the fog before letting Teepo slip out of his grasp. When he returned to Elize's side, he looked back at him.

"He didn't squeeze Teepo," Elize said, staring in surprise.

"I thought you didn't like it when people squeezed Teepo," Jude pointed out.

Elize shot Jude a concerned glance, shaking her head after a time.

"Is little buddy dying?" Teepo asked, fear in his voice. Elize grabbed him out of the air again and clamped his mouth shut.

"Don't say those things, Teepo," Elize cried.

"No," Jude said, holding eye contact with Leia, "He'll be just fine. I'll make sure of that."

Leia stepped away and disappeared to get something to clean up the mess beside Alvin. Milla and Jude picked him up and supported him carefully, carrying him back toward the room he'd been in originally. He tried to catch himself and stand on his own, but his legs shook so much that he couldn't take a step.

"Don't be afraid to lean on us, Alvin," Milla said, helping Jude hold him up when he crumbled.

Alvin groaned loudly, leaning his head against Milla's shoulder. He had no idea where he even was anymore, so he let his eyes fall closed. Not long after he did, he felt Jude and Milla ease him back into bed, propping up his head with an extra blanket they'd rolled up. He felt them lay the blanket he'd kicked off over his legs and twisted underneath it.

"Whoa," Jude soothed, "it's okay, Alvin."

Milla reached out and stroked his head, easing him. "I've read in a book that light petting can ease others and even momentarily distract them from pain or discomfort." She brushed his hair away with her finger tips and continued to carefully slide her hand over his forehead.

"Not a dog," Alvin managed to croak out. He hadn't realized how raw his throat was before he spoke. He swallowed against it, feeling it sting when he did.

"It looks like it's working," Jude agreed, ignoring Alvin's protests.

"Yes," Milla said, watching Alvin as his body released some of its tension, "I believe it is working, as well."

Alvin heard water slosh as the door creaked open again. He opened his eyes a crack to see Leia carrying a bowl of water followed by Elize with several wash cloths.

"The innkeeper said we could use these," Leia said, nodding to Elize and the cloths, "When I told her we had a sick friend, she all but ran to help us."

Rowen stood by the door, talking silently to someone out of Alvin's line of sight. Leia dipped one of the wash cloths into the bowl of cold water and wrung it out, laying it on Alvin's head gingerly. She picked up a second one, dipped it in, and wrung it out, too, only to hand it to Milla to dab over his searing skin.

"I'll be fine," Alvin wheezed, "We should keep going." He searched the faces, but no one would meet his gaze.

Jude pressed his finger against his temple, thinking for a moment. "Sharilton would be a safer place for him to recuperate – we know that. If we could get him there without his condition worsening, he'd be better off there than here."

"It's quite a long trek from Sapstrath Seahaven to Sharilton on foot with an impaired party member," Rowen said, closing the door and joining them at Alvin's bedside before folding his arms behind his back. "We should be ready for an emergency should one arise."

"I don't know," Leia said, rubbing the back of her head, "If we go dragging him that far, it'll be hard to keep him safe. What if he gets worse while we're traveling?"

"He will be hard to keep here if he wants us to continue," Milla said, "Human determination is a powerful thing."

Jude stared at Milla for a moment before sighing loudly. "We're all right. As much as I want to keep him here, a seahaven inn isn't safe enough for this kind of thing. We all know Alvin has more than his fair share of enemies, after all. If someone finds out he's laying here in this condition..."

"I'm right here," Alvin groaned at him.

"That's a good point," Leia said, pressing her palm to her forehead, ignoring Alvin, again. She moved her hands to her hips. "I guess we don't have another choice, but can't we just wait _one_ more day? That could make a huge difference in how traveling effects him."

"Are we sure the big, fat liar is worth all this?" Teepo grumbled.

Elize snatched him out of the air above her head, squishing his head so he couldn't speak. She looked up at Jude, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm really trying to keep him from saying those things."

"S'okay," Alvin said, smiling at her, "S'fair enough."

She buried her face against Teepo, sniffling.

Milla sighed at him. She nodded after a moment of thought. "Alright," she said, "we wait a day so he can rest before we set out for Sharilton."

Jude blinked at her in surprise. "So that's that?"

"Yes," she said, "I think it's a fair compromise. It eases our worries some while still preventing any potential attempts on Alvin's life."

Alvin tried to argue, but his world started spinning again, his heartbeat pounding harder behind his eyes. He whimpered slightly and pinched his eyes shut, pressing his cheek against the thin pillow that laid atop the rolled up blanket. Leia switched the cloth on his head with a fresh, cool one. Alvin felt the momentary relief as his eyes grew heavy.

He blinked against sleep's draw, desperately clinging to consciousness. Eventually, he couldn't fight it anymore and sleep pulled him away.

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 **Well, that's it for chapter one. It doesn't look that bad, does it? Hopefully, it stays that way!**

 **If you enjoyed this, please keep reading!**

 **Reviews are great! Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back!**

 **I'll be publishing a new chapter every Monday until this story is complete.**

 **Now, without further ado, here's chapter two!**

 **Sorry, I had to take the time to make a little rhyme...**

 **Oops, there I go, again! I guess that was a slip of the pen.**

 **Ignore me. Enjoy your update.**

* * *

Jude watched the seahaven wake up from the front steps of the inn. He hadn't been able to rest after finding Alvin in the hall the night before. He'd tried to deduce exactly what he'd managed to catch, but to no avail. He rubbed his face. He knew he needed to rest, but he just couldn't close his eyes long enough to sleep.

The door opened behind him and he looked up to see Milla walking out to stand beside him. At first, she didn't speak. She just sat down next to him and sighed.

"He's still sleeping," Milla said, "Elize is watching him, now."

Jude shook his head slowly. "I don't know what's wrong with him. I thought maybe it was flu, but it's not flu season. He'd be waking up more in the night, too. Something just doesn't add up."

"Maybe it's not a virus, after all," Milla suggested.

Jude met her eyes and turned his head to the side. "You're not saying that maybe someone..."

"It's entirely possible," she said, "You said it yourself last night, Alvin has plenty of enemies. We don't always know who he comes in contact with, or even that he's entirely safe when he does. It's possible that someone found out he was near-by and slipped him something without him knowing, as well."

"But what?" Jude asked, holding the sides of his head.

"That's a good question," Milla said, "It's hard to say. It's likely just luck that no one else was harmed."

"When we boarded that ship at the Aladhi Seahaven, had he started acting strangely yet?" Jude asked, trying to remember on his own.

Milla hummed, thinking back. "He was quieter than usual, so yes."

Jude nodded. "Right," he said, "He hasn't spoken much since we left Xian Du."

"He did seem rather nervous when he returned to the inn the night before we left the city," she said, "Could that have been when this all started?"

"But that was weeks ago," Jude said, "Surely it wouldn't have taken that long to take effect."

"Who ever did this may have followed us," Milla said, "They very well could have been planning this. As much as I love humans, I know how conniving they can be. He may have been worrying over a threat he'd received in Xian Du. That would explain his uncharacteristic silence."

"But most poisons kill so quickly," Jude said, staring at the stones under his feet, "It's true that there are some that would take this long to do anything, but they're all really hard to find and the antidotes can be just as illusive."

"The only question that remains is simple," Milla said.

"How long does he have and will he survive the long walk to Sharilton?" Jude finished, as if it weren't already obvious.

Milla stood up. "We should talk to the others. If we're lucky, someone might know something."

Jude hopped up and followed her inside. Rowen and Leia were sitting at a table in the front room. Leia nearly jumped out of her seat when they came up to them, catching the looks on their faces.

"What's wrong?" she asked, leading Jude to the seat beside her, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Jude shook his head.

"We may have figured out what's happened to Alvin," Milla said, "Although I can't say it's what anyone would call a good thing."

"Well," Leia said, "Come on! Tell us."

Rowen raised his eyebrows and looked up to Milla, waiting for her explanation.

"Jude," Milla said, "why don't you tell them?"

Jude nodded. "We aren't entirely sure, but Milla and I have a feeling that Alvin doesn't have a virus. It's likely that someone managed to poison him without us knowing."

Leia turned pale. "But when? How did we not notice?"

"It may not have been meant for Alvin at all," Rowen chimed in.

Milla sat next to him. "What are you thinking, Rowen?"

"If you are correct and Alvin is in fact poisoned," he said, "Then it may have been another attempt on your life, Lady Milla."

Leia shifted. "Then it could have been any one of us laying in that bed right now?"

Milla touched her chin. "That is something I hadn't considered. Although, I would have thought that most of the people that were hunting me before are either dead now or in hiding."

"Whom could it have been?" Rowen asked.

Milla shook her head after a time. "I doubt that matters now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"So if Alvin did receive a threat like we thought," Jude said.

"Then it was likely a threat on my life, not his own," Milla said.

"That would explain why he didn't try to get off the radar by abandoning us again," Jude said, holding his fist in front of his mouth.

Leia stared wide-eyed at the table. "The other day," she said, "when we ate at the Aladhi Seahaven Inn, Alvin made sure he got a certain plate before they could hand it to you, Milla. You don't think he saw them do something to that food, do you?"

"The server did look a little nervous when he did that," Rowen agreed, "Although, one would think they would try harder to pass that plate to Lady Milla."

"If they resorted to poison," Milla said, "they were likely scared they would be found out. Killing Alvin would potentially aid in their cause, anyway. His death would mean one less person around me, after all."

"But if he knew they poisoned it," Leia asked, visibly distressed, "then why did he eat it? It doesn't make any since. He could have told us they did something, at the very least."

They were all silent. Jude shifted, turning his head to avoid eye contact. Milla hummed and touched the side of her head, closing her eyes. Rowen sighed loudly, his shoulders slumping.

"If I'm not mistaken," he said, his voice low, "we are all thinking the same thing."

"You don't really think he'd _want_ something like this to happen to him?" Jude asked, "Do you?"

"After what he did at Hamil and the whole thing with Presa," Leia said, trailing off.

"Don't say it," Jude said, propping his arms on the table and pressing his palms to his eyes.

"It could very well be a form of self-punishment," Rowen said, voicing Jude's worst fear.

Milla stared at the table for a moment. "The only one that knows for sure could very well be dying in the other room as we speak."

Leia teared up. "Sure, I don't trust him – he shot me, for cryin' out loud – but I don't want him to die, not like this."

Jude clinched his fists. "None of us do."

"Alvin may feel that sacrificing himself for us is the only way to make up for what he's done," Milla said, her voice echoing in their heads, "I understand how you both must feel, but Alvin is likely just as desperate. I doubt he truly _wants_ to die."

"He likely does not see another way," Rowen said. He rose from his seat and glanced down at Milla. "We should go to him. If we can confirm this as truth, we may still have time to save his life."

"What if we're already too late?" Leia asked, her tears starting down her cheeks. "I know there are poisons that you can't cure after the symptoms crop up. What if it's one of those?"

Jude rubbed the side of his head, trying to keep his emotions in check. He stayed where he was and combed over Alvin's symptoms one last time, racking his brain for a solvable possibility while the others started toward the back.

"Jude," Milla said, pulling him back to reality, "a fresh look at him may help to shine light on what he may have been given."

He looked up at Milla and nodded. He pulled himself up and the four of them headed back to the room where Alvin had been resting.

When they opened the door, they found Elize had pulled the chair as close as she could manage, her small legs pulled up into the chair as she hugged Teepo. She made eye contact with Jude as he came in. She pushed the chair back and wandered over to them, still clinging to Teepo.

"He hasn't changed much since I've been in here," she said, looking up at them with her big, green eyes, "He hasn't moved more than a little, either."

Jude slipped past her and looked down on him. His eyes had sunken in some and his face had turned an ill gray color. He shook his arm and he stirred lightly, coughing as he woke.

"Alvin," Jude said, tapping his face.

Alvin groaned and stared feverishly up at Jude.

Elize turned her head, watching Jude as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Alvin," Jude said, "you have to answer me honestly, okay?"

Alvin closed his eyes, swallowing hard. He nodded.

Jude glanced up at Milla, fear flashing in his eyes. Milla braced her hand on his shoulder and he looked back down at Alvin.

"It's a simple question for now," Jude said, "Do you know if you were poisoned?"

Alvin's eyes flicked open an he stared at Jude in shock.

"Answer him, Alvin," Milla said.

Alvin flashed his eyes from Jude to Milla and back again. He didn't have to speak, his expression spoke volumes.

Leia nearly snapped, rushing toward him, her frustration pouring off her. "Why didn't you tell us? You could die!"

Alvin looked up at her, surprise in his eyes. He opened his mouth a crack, but couldn't bring himself to make a sound.

"Why won't you say anything?" she cried, reaching out and grabbing the collar of his shirt. She moved him without any resistance and she froze, tears in her eyes as he laid limp in her grip.

Jude pried her off him and pushed her toward Milla, who pulled her away. Rowen took her out of the room without a word and Milla returned to Jude's side.

Alvin's eyes grew heavy as he watched them move silently. It wasn't long before he was fast asleep again, his head still turned slightly toward them.

Jude looked back to him to find him unconscious again. He hummed softly and looked up at Milla.

"I've got a hunch," he said, getting up. He turned back to Alvin and placed his hands over his chest, a soft glow emitting from his palms. Alvin's expression changed and he relaxed significantly. He took a deep breath – but didn't wake – laying much more peacefully afterward.

Milla studied Jude. "What is it?"

"There's a poison called Aldivynt that does this," Jude said, glancing sideways at her, "We can slow the effects by channeling healing artes, so we should be able to limp him along until we can get him an antidote." He picked Alvin's wrist up and checked his pulse, counting it carefully. He nodded, momentarily satisfied. "We have to hurry. If we take too long, it won't matter how many artes we use."

"How long do we have?" Milla asked.

Jude squeezed his eyes shut and touched his temple again. "I'm not entirely sure. It could take a week or less to kill him depending on how high a dose he ended up with. One thing's for sure; he's only going to get worse. We've got to get him to Sharilton if we want him to have much of a chance at all."

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 **That's that for chapter 2!**

 **At least he's not dead, right? They'll probably have smooth sailing from here, I doubt that too much could really crop up at this point.**

 ****** Aldivynt is a poison I fabricated for my original story's world. It's not a real poison and is not based off any poison from reality or fiction. I just couldn't find a real poison that suited my purposes, so I looked to my own works for help. ******

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **I hope you hang on for the next chapter!**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! I'm back with chapter 3!**

 **Sorry for the later update. At least it's still Monday, right?**

 **Thanks for hanging in long enough to get this far.**

 **I'm so thankful to all my lovely readers, whether you drop a review or not.**

 **Please continue to grace me with your attention so I can (try to) grace you with a well-told story.**

* * *

Jude and Milla held Alvin carefully as they picked their way through the familiar area. The Sapstrath Highroad was normally a simple enough route to take, but with Alvin hanging like he were dead between them, a few steps felt like a million.

Rowen lead them with Leia at his side. She'd stopped crying before they'd left the inn and she'd held it together since then. She couldn't, however, hide her concern. Elize had insisted on walking beside Jude and Milla so she could help Jude and heal Alvin occasionally. She hadn't spoken much since she'd started doing so and Teepo was silent as well, which was disheartening to say the least.

The path was a scenic as always. Trees dotted the area and soft, green grass covered the ground. The sun warmed them as they finally came across the path to the Sapstrath Deepwood. They didn't go into it, though, it would just mean more time to get to Sharilton, and time was something they couldn't afford.

Out of no where, a sound of wings beating the air like a rug filled their ears. They looked up to see Ivar jump off his wyvern and land in their path. He grinned like the maniac he was and poised his hands on his hips.

"I'm going to have to stop you," he said, raising his head with purpose, "I can't let Lady Milla go to Sharilton. With everything that's been happening, it's far too dangerous for her. You're going to have return to the seahaven!"

"Ivar," Milla said, annoyed, "we don't have time for this. Get out of our way."

"But Lady Milla," he protested, "you could be in danger."

"That's enough, Ivar," she said, "I'm not afraid of a little danger."

"Lady Milla," he pleaded, "I don't understand. I've already lost you once before, I can't let you risk your life just to go into a town so riddled with chaos."

"We don't have much choice," Jude cut in, "Alvin needs help."

Ivar stepped to the side and saw Alvin, having been hidden from his line of sight by Rowen and Leia. His eyes grew wide and he shifted uncomfortably.

"He was poisoned, Ivar," Milla said, holding a calm tone, "We're going to Sharilton in hopes of finding an antidote."

Ivar shook his head. "That's why you _can't_ go to Sharilton. A lot of people have been poisoned there in the last few days," he said, swinging his arms in an attempt to gesture, "If it's that Aldivynt stuff, he'll have to go somewhere else. They ran out of the antidote not long ago. Please, just listen to me. It's not safe and you're better off going somewhere else. I'll accompany you back to Nia Khera. We'll be able to get him help there."

"We can't afford to go all the way back there," Milla said, "If you're wrong and we can't get the antidote there, Alvin _will_ die. Return to Nia Khera on your own. If it makes you feel better, we'll assume you're correct about Sharilton."

"But Lady Milla," he tried.

"No, Ivar," she said, her tone short, "I won't ask how you have this information. Just return to Nia Khera without delay."

Ivar kicked at the ground in frustration before turning back to his wyvern. He swung himself up on its back and flew out of their sight.

"And here I thought we'd seen the last of him," Rowen said, sighing as he folded his hands behind him.

Jude looked over at Milla, nervous. "Are we really not going to Sharilton now?"

"If Ivar's right about the antidote," she said, starring straight ahead, "Alvin will likely be too weak to travel again."

"But where else can we go?" Elize asked.

"It won't be too long before they have more antidote, will it?" Teepo asked, "Why can't we just go there and wait for them to have it again?"

"It could take days, maybe weeks, to make more," Jude said, knowingly, "The antidote for Aldivynt is hard to get a hold of. Almost all of its ingredients are rare, so it's safe to say that Alvin would die before they could treat him."

"That is likely," Rowen said, "Although, I have to wonder, why has there been a sudden influx in Aldivynt poisonings recently?"

"It's hard to say," Milla said, "but I doubt these attacks are exactly random."

Leia was silent for a time. An idea flashed in her eyes and she looked to Jude quickly. "What if we check with Dr. Mathis in Leronde? He's sure to have some."

Jude stared at Leia for a time. He glanced at Alvin. He had to admit, it was their best bet – and could, quite frankly, be Alvin's last shot. "That's a good idea, Leia. Let's go home and see what Dad can do, it's not like we really have much of a choice."

Jude and Milla made sure they still had a good grip on Alvin. Rowen and Leia waited for them to turn around before following behind them. They'd been walking for hours, already. It felt to Leia like they had wasted so much precious time.

Alvin woke up with a start and Leia jumped. Everyone else was equally surprised, but Elize was the only other one that acted as outwardly startled.

He managed to get his legs under him and stand on his own, pulling away from Jude and Milla. He seemed fine. The redness in his face was gone and his eyes were clear. He wasn't wheezing as he had been and his skin wasn't nearly as sallow. It was almost as if he'd never been poisoned to begin with.

He looked back at the others and glanced around, trying to figure out where they were. When it dawned on him that they were headed back toward the seahaven, he habitually touched his head. "Why aren't we going to Sharilton?" he asked, "Did you guys already go there while I was out?"

"That's not important," Jude said. He crossed his arms and stared hard at Alvin. "Just a moment ago, you couldn't even talk, much less stand. What changed?"

"Maybe it wasn't Aldivynt after all?" Milla suggested, "What it was may have worn off instead of killing him."

Jude pressed his finger against his temple, squeezing his eyes shut. "I don't know. I feel like I should, but I just can't seem to remember what I'm missing."

"Don't fret about it," Alvin said, stepping over to him and laying his arm around his shoulders, "I don't feel so rotten anymore, so we may as well just move on."

Jude looked up at the side of his face and turned his head. "You still look kind of sick, but I guess it's safe to say you're at least better, now."

Rowen's eyes lit up. He started stroking his beard, letting the pieces fall together. After a moment, he nodded and folded his hands again. "What a wonderful happenstance," he said, "However, I, for one, am still a bit concerned for Alvin's well being. We should continue to Leronde and have him seen, even with his symptoms gone."

Leia, having seen the expression on his face moments before, nodded. "That sounds like a good idea to me. Besides, it'll be nice to see Mom and Dad again."

Alvin peeled away from Jude and looked back at them. He shrugged. "I'm fine with that."

Milla made eye contact with Jude. He still looked nervous, as if Alvin had never moved. She folded her arms and touched her chin for a moment. It did seem odd that he was suddenly so well after being deathly ill all day. She wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but something told her to keep an eye on Alvin, not that it wasn't already a habit.

They picked their pace back up and started for the Seahaven. Jude happened to the front of the party with Milla just behind him. She would occasionally glance back to be sure Alvin wasn't lagging behind.

For a while, he did fine. She began to actually believe that everything had managed to solve itself, that he really was well again. She sighed and turned her attention away from him and the party continued to move on.

Alvin felt a wave of nausea crash into him. He didn't make a sound, but he slowed down a bit. His head started to spin again and he pushed the feeling down. This wasn't happening – not again. He misstepped and caught himself, feeling the cold chills start again. He started to grab at his coat and found his hands were trembling. He tried to steady them, but they just wouldn't stop quaking. He felt the tightness in his lungs return and he wheezed loudly.

The party stopped and turned around, realizing they had been leaving him behind. Leia dashed back to him as his shaking legs gave way, sending him crashing to his knees. She dove in front of him and caught him on her shoulder so he wouldn't fall.

"Something," he wheezed, "isn't right."

Alvin pulled away from her sharply, catching himself on his hands and gagging and coughing his throat raw. Finally, a bit of relief came when he retched violently and expelled nothing but bile and stomach acid into the grass. His vision went foggy again and he began to fall over.

He felt Jude's steady, able hands on his shoulders and let him steer him away from the mess. He collapsed on his back, his head reeling.

Jude laid a hand on his face and looked up at Leia, who was still just a few steps away. He shook his head. "This is bad," he said, "His fever's worse now than it was at the inn."

Rowen made a soft cough noise to gain their attention. He stared hard at Jude. "If you don't mind, might I suggest you take his pulse?"

Jude held eye contact with Rowen for a moment before he remembered something that shook him. He grabbed Alvin's wrist, pulling a whimper out of him, and tried counting the rhythm. He stopped after a moment – what rhythm? He moved his fingers to his throat and waited, trying to see if he'd been wrong. He shook his head. Alvin's heart was beating hard and fast, but what worried him more was the sudden irregularity. Jude watched in horror as Alvin's skin took on the same gray cast as before.

"He's shaking," Leia said, taking his trembling hand and trying to steady him.

Jude slipped his arm under Alvin's neck and started to move him. He winced in pain and let out a soft cry. Jude didn't pull away. He pulled him up enough for Milla to get on his other side and help lift him. They started toward a shady spot at the edge of the highroad where a small, shallow stream was winding through the area.

Tears formed in Alvin's eyes. He didn't attempt to stop them, they just began to fall as he gasped for air. He couldn't figure out why he was crying, but he couldn't stop himself, either. It only made breathing harder and he tried to quit, but still to no avail.

Jude and Milla stopped, even before they were very close to the stream, and eased him to the ground. Jude tried to talk to him, to bring him out of his hysteria, but nothing seemed to work. He looked at Milla helplessly and she returned a similar lost look.

His tears stopped suddenly and his eyes fluttered shut.

* * *

 **That's that for chapter 3!**

 **No jokes in the author's notes today, though...**

 **I'll have to come up with a good one for next time.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Please drop a review and come back next Monday for the update!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back for chapter 4!**

 **Last chapter was a cliff-hanger.**

 **Originally, chapters 3 and 4 were together, but I thought they worked better broken up like this.**

 **I'm really sorry about the long hiatus I took. I realize this chapter is _very_ late.**

 **I hope you enjoy this update, anyway!**

* * *

 _He felt a pain in his chest as he saw Presa. At first it was his Presa - the cautious girl that stuck her neck out and trusted him – only for her to shift to the hardened, bitter Presa that he and the others had met in Kanbalar. A moment later, he watched as the rock broke away and she fell out of his reach. His overactive imagination pictured her mangled, lifeless body lying where she'd fallen, the same bewildered look in her lifeless eyes._

 _Other things started flashing through his mind – some better, some so much worse. He watched as the Exodus agent injured him and tore something out of Teepo - he heard Elize's crying and it haunted him. He couldn't protect her from that heartache, he'd tried but it hadn't been enough._

 _His mind flashed again to his mother's bedside. She laid there, dying slowly, and he was too blind to see that - he just wanted to get her home, back to where they were happy before his dad... His mind flashed and he saw his father drown – saw the fear in everyone else's eyes - the pain on his mother's face. Face after face spun through his head - people he'd betrayed and had betray him, right next to those he'd killed._

 _The images disappeared and he resurfaced. He heard Muzét's promise to send him home and found his gun in his hand. He'd aimed it at Jude before he could stop himself. He blinked and saw the betrayal in Leia's eyes as he fought her in the trees at Hamil. He heard her pleading with Jude, but the words could just as easily apply to him. He felt the need to listen to her, but since he hadn't back then, it was nothing but fuzzy noise that he couldn't make out. He couldn't quite make himself stop before it happened._

 _His gun went off in his hand - like he was trapped inside himself and couldn't stop his body from hurting her - he saw her fall away. Jude knocked him to the ground then, punching him over and over - but in this nightmare, he didn't stop. He heard Jude's words, but none of his own - they didn't make any sense like this. What was his mind doing?_

 _The images flashed and switched again and he was holding Jude back as Milla fell to her death. It was his fault. He knew that, but why wouldn't this stop? Why couldn't he make it stop?_

He woke suddenly and lurched as he pulled from his nightmare. Steady hands held him in place, but he didn't pause to think about them. He was laid somewhere shady, his head rested on something. He blinked, trying to process the world around him. He froze, realizing he wasn't resting on something, but rather, someone. He flicked his eyes up when he felt Jude dabbing his face with a cool cloth.

Jude said something – Alvin saw his lips move – but he couldn't hear him. He tried to tell him, but quickly found he couldn't speak. He spotted trees above Jude's head and felt fear wash through him. Had all that had happened been a dream? Had he really made it back home and seen Balan at all? Had he returned to Rieze Maxia with the others to chase loose ends with the others like he remembered? Jude's eyes held much more remorse than he deserved if they'd never made it out of Hamil - not that he deserved any compassion after that, anyway.

Jude said something else that Alvin couldn't quite make out.

He panicked. It felt like his head was underwater. For a moment, he thought he was drowning. He took as deep a breath as he could muster, just to prove to himself that he could. He felt Jude patting the side of his face, saying something he still couldn't quite hear.

Leia appeared behind him, carrying water. She disappeared from his sight, so he could only imagine that she had knelt down to place the water on the ground by Jude. He felt something else wash over him – something cool and familiar. He glanced down at his side and found Elize and Teepo, casting healing artes. His hearing slowly came back just before she stopped. He felt some of his fear leave him, but not all of it. Where was Milla?  
He could faintly hear Rowen asking someone how long they should stay where they were. He waited for the response.

When he heard Milla's voice sound, replying to Rowen's question, all the tension in his body vanished. He let out a relieved sigh, tears hanging in the corners of his eyes.

He looked back up at Jude and watched as he took a refreshed cloth from Leia. He started dabbing at his skin again.

Alvin smiled peacefully. "Thanks," he choked.

"Don't mention it," Jude said. He glanced down at him, trying his best to mask his concern. He forced a smile, but Alvin could see through it. There was no way he could hide something so blatantly obvious from an expert liar.

Alvin sorted through the possibilities in his head. He knew he had to ask – but it was whether or not he could manage to speak.

"Am I dying?" His voice didn't sound like his own. There was fear there that only doubled his brokenness and made him smaller – weaker. He wanted to curse himself. Why did he have to sound like that?

"No," Jude said. His determination spooked Alvin into jumping again. "You're going to be fine. You're not dying now, not after everything we've all been through. Sure, maybe you were the cause of some of our messes – and I'm not letting you off the hook – but you're still my friend."

Alvin stared up at him, shocked for a time. He felt Elize grip his right hand as Leia moved around to his left side. She looked unsure of him, but he couldn't blame her. What he did to her flashed behind his eyes again and he looked away. He still couldn't seem to face it.

He felt something wrong. Bile tease his throat again and he yanked himself from Jude, Elize, and Leia. He couldn't get most of his body to cooperate, but his arms did as they were told. He clawed at the dirt, dragging himself toward the edge of the stream.

He finally made it just as he couldn't hold it back any longer. More bile and stomach acid formed a puddle in the dirt. He reeled and fell aside, landing in the cool, shallow stream. He felt it soak his clothes, but he didn't care. He was in too much pain to move.

Delicate hands turned him over on his back and drug him from the water. Leia propped him against herself as she examined his fingers. He winced when she touched them and looked for himself, finding them covered in dirt and blood.

"You should have asked for help," she scolded as she cleaned the cuts and washed the dirt off his hands, "I don't know what you were thinking. You clawed so hard at those rocks..."

Alvin stared up at her. She didn't even glance down at him. She took bandages from Jude and carefully wrapped each of his fingers, scolding him under her breath as she did. When she finished, she glared at him.

"I hope you're proud of what you did," she said, "You went and hurt yourself. What were you thinking?"

"Calm down, Leia," Jude cut in, "You're sounding like Master Sonia."

"Answer me, Alvin," Leia demanded.

He averted his eyes. She'd managed to surprise him again. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You'd better be," she puffed, "Next time, try letting us know if you need help."

"You know," Jude cut in again, "A healing arte would clear that up right away."

Leia shot Jude a glare. "He's just going to have to deal with it. It's what he gets for hurting himself."

Jude put his hands up in his defense, taking a step back. "I don't think he meant –"

"He's already wearing bandages," Milla said, coming in after finishing her conversation with Rowen,"It's not like he can really do anything right now. A few cut fingers aren't going to get in his way."

Jude sighed. "I guess you're right."

Rowen laughed.

"You're silly, Jude," Teepo shouted, flying in a circle over his head.

"What do you mean by that?" Jude asked, glaring at him.

"You know!" Teepo said, refusing to say another word on the subject.

Jude grinned at him and shook his head. Now wasn't the time for this. He turned back to Alvin and Milla helped Jude pull him to his feet. They held him up and started for the seahaven again.

He walked with them for a moment before his legs stopped working again. He fell, and would have hit the ground had Jude and Milla not been holding onto him.

He stared at his useless feet dragging behind them, only reminding him that his weren't moving. He closes his eyes, wishing he weren't such a burden. He'd done so much to them. He'd always caused them so much trouble – so much heartache – and yet they still helped him. He didn't expect them to trust him – he knew they probably never would again – but it felt nice to belong somewhere. It felt nice to belong with _them_.

His thoughts left him, finally, as he faded out of consciousness once more.

* * *

 **Well, that ended nicely, didn't it?**

 **I could almost leave it like that if it weren't for that _one_ thing...**

 **What was that again?**

 **Oh yeah!**

 _ **He's still poisoned.**_

 **I hope you come back again next week!**

 **Thanks for reading and – please – drop a review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome back for the 5th chapter!**

 **I can't say how sorry I am for the long hiatus I took. I temporarily moved to a new part of the country with one of my mom's contracts and have been trying to adjust. It hasn't been easy, but I'm coming back now to finally wrap this bad boy up.**

 **There's not many chapters left, so I hope you enjoy these last few pieces.**

 **Now, as always, please enjoy your update!**

* * *

Jude leaned on the railing of the ship. The salty spray distracted him from the recent events that plagued his mind. He stared at the water rippling around them as the time slugged on like half-frozen syrup. He felt someone come up behind him and glanced back, finding Leia standing awkwardly in the sunlight.

"Are you okay, Jude?" she asked, easing up to him. She glanced out at the water herself, trying to seem more collected.

"Yeah," Jude said, "I'm fine, Leia. I'm just thinking about going back home. We haven't been here since before Milla..."

"I know," she said, touching her shoulder for a moment, "I've been a little more than nervous about seeing Mom and Dad."

Jude smiled mildly. "Yeah, the moment Master Sonia finds the scar..."

"I won't tell her if you won't," Leia said, "and if it does get brought up, Alvin didn't do it. Fair?"

"Let's just not say anything about _who_ may have done that," Jude said, "Maybe she won't ask."

"I don't think we're that lucky," Leia said, "It's been so long since I've even written to her that I'm half expecting a lecture."

Jude grew quiet and looked away from her. "How's he doing?"

"He's basically the same as he was," Leia said.

"Are _you_ okay?" Jude asked, staring hard at her.

Leia shook her head. "I don't know," she said, leaning on the rail, "Alvin's been trying so hard since he rejoined us, but I just can't seem to get past what happened. He tried to apologize to me, but..."

"You're scared to let your guard down enough to really forgive him?" Jude finished.

"I guess that's it," she said, "I just don't know. He seemed to understand, but after this, I feel like I'm being unfair to him."

"We still don't know for sure how he ended up like this," Jude said, "Don't beat yourself up about it. It's not like _you_ did this."

"I know," Leia said, "but when we were resting beside that stream and he – well, you know what he did – I guess I realized I feel more sorry for him than anything."

Jude nodded, unsure of what to say.

"I think it's a good thing, Jude," she whispered, "but like you said, I'm not letting my guard down."

Jude looked toward the front of the ship. "It won't be long now. Let's just hope they have some antidote."

"They will!" Leia said, pumping her fists toward herself.

Jude smiled awkwardly, this whole mess had been more than a little strange. After all that had happened, why this all of a sudden? He couldn't help but wonder if they'd ever know how Alvin ended up getting poisoned to begin with, but maybe it was better that way.

* * *

"Absolutely not," Doctor Mathis growled, glaring down at his son, "There's a limited supply of that antidote. I'm not wasting any of it on _him_ ,not with the recent outbreak. Surely, you understand."

"But as a doctor, aren't you sworn to treat everyone that needs care?" Leia argued, stepping closer to Jude defensively.

"I'll just have to overlook that little detail," he replied, squaring his shoulders and heading for the exit, "This is a special case."

Jude clinched his fist, watching the door close behind his father. He felt anger boiling up inside him. Here they'd come all this way just for another one of them to be denied treatment. As different as the situation may have been from before, it still turned Jude's vision red.

Leia touched his arm carefully, half expecting him to slam his fist onto the table at his side. She glanced over at the bed where Jude's mother had them place Alvin, who – though still unconscious – suffered visibly from fever and the number of other symptoms he displayed. She turned her gaze back on Jude has he relaxed under her hand.

"Leia," he said, his voice eerily calm, "go outside and tell the others that we've gotten the help he needs."

"Are you –"

"Of course," Jude said, fire in his amber eyes, "I already said he isn't going to die. If he doesn't get that antidote here, he won't survive long enough for us to get him to Fennmont."

"If we go by ship –"

"But there's still no guarantee that there's any antidote in Fennmont," Jude said, shaking his head, "He has to be helped _here_ , no matter how you look at it."

Leia looked at her feet, worry twisting her gut. "Are you at least going to ask your mom for help?"

"If he won't help," Jude said, "she'll have a hard time getting around him. I'm just going to have to do it myself."

Leia met Jude's confident gaze and felt her own gusto return. "Okay," she said, vibrantly, "I'll go talk to the others while you get the antidote."

"I'll be quick," Jude said, glancing at Alvin before heading toward the door, "and I may need your help encase he wakes up."

"And if he doesn't?" Leia asked.

"We'll have to move him to your inn, anyway," he said, "That way he can rest up without clashing with anyone."

"Okay," she said, relaxing, "that sounds like a plan." She watched Jude walk out of the room. She glanced back at Alvin again, still asleep just a few steps away. "Please, don't let our efforts go to waste."

* * *

Leia stepped out of the clinic and met eyes with Milla and Rowen. Elize and Teepo weren't far away themselves, managing somehow to stay distracted.

"Well?" Milla asked, moving closer to Leia, "How did it go?"

"They're getting the antidote now," Leia said, "He's going to need time to rest. Jude thinks we should take him to the inn to free up room in the clinic."

Rowen joined Milla closer to Leia and folded his arms behind his back. "I see," he said, "We were lucky that they had the correct medicine. I doubt he could have handled any more travel in his current condition."

"I agree," Milla said, "I will be pleased to see him back to normal soon. We've all been more than a little worried for him."

Leia looked over at Elize, who was crouched close to the ground as she bounced Teepo. She stopped and turned around, folding her hands in front of her as she made her way over to the others.

"I'm glad," Elize said.

"Elly even started to miss his teasing," Teepo added.

Elize stamped her foot at him, only to receive a mid-air twirl from the doll.

Leia smiled, letting a short chuckle escape her throat. "I think we all did to a degree," she agreed, "but it may still be a day or two before he's doing _that_ again."

Elize nodded, trying to mask her mild disappointment.

"That _sucks_ ," Teepo whined, "I want him to get better _now_!"

"That's enough, Teepo," Milla scolded, "We'll just have to wait. That's how this works."

Elize caught Teepo out of the air, holding him against her. "When are we going to take him to the inn?"

Leia looked down at her. She hadn't thought about that.

"Whenever Jude thinks it's time," she heard herself say, "It may take a little bit longer to administer the antidote."

* * *

 **Well, that's it for chapter 5.**

 **We're getting close to the end, finally. I think everyone's been through more than enough chaos for one fic.**

 **Please, drop a review!**

 **Thanks.**


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